The St. Johns River Water Management district is hiring two Land Manager positions in Palm Bay and Lake Apopka, Florida. They are also advertising an Invasive Plant Technician based in Sunnyhill, Florida. These are all positions that would involve prescribed fire application and use. Job application period closes January 30th. More info here.
Continue ReadingJob: Forestry Technician / Fire, Fort Stewart
The Department of Army at Ft. Stewart, Georgia is seeking qualified applicants for one vacant Forestry Technician, GS-0462-07 position. The vacancy announcement is open through 31 Jan 2022 and is open to all USCitizens.
Details can be found at the following USAJOBS link:https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/631638600
Partner Webinar: Wildfire in the Western US – Causes, Consequences and Adaptation
Upcoming Partner Webinar: Wildfire in the Western US: Causes, Consequences, and Adaptation
On Thursday, September 16th from 7:00 to 8:00 PM ET, The Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies will be hosting a webinar featuring a panel of speakers who will discuss the social and ecological impacts of the 1,000% increase in annual burned area in the Western US since 1984. More information about the webinar:
What is causing recent trends in fire activity? What will forests of the future look like? How can modeling wildfires and forest response guide adaptation strategies? These are among the questions to be explored. Panelists will also discuss the importance of tailoring fire and forest management to the local context, considering regionally specific factors like forest type, environmental conditions, and the presence of people.
Panelists will include: forest ecologist Winslow Hansen (Cary Institute), fire ecologist Phil Higuera (University of Montana), and natural resource sociologist Catrin Edgeley (Northern Arizona University).
NPR Story: Why the South is Decades Ahead of the West in Wildfire Prevention
Our colleagues Dr. Morgan Varner (Tall Timbers Research Station) and Lenya Quinn-Davidson (University of California and WTREX) were featured in an NPR story comparing prescribed fire use in the Southern and Western US. The National Prescribed Fire Use Survey Report (pdf) shows that many Western US states are making progress towards increasing the use of prescribed fire. Looking for more information on how prescribed fire impacts wildfire in the South? Check out our fact sheets that summarize recent research here (pdf) and here (pdf).
Continue ReadingFire and Smoke Model Evaluation Experiment (FASMEE)
The Fire and Smoke Model Evaluation Experiment (FASMEE) is a large collaborative, multifaceted fire research project that involves scientists from across the US, including many from the South. Our partners at the Tall Timbers Research Station Wildland Fire Science Program are heavily involved in FASMEE, with research on fire behavior, smoke dynamics, and fire effects. Be sure to read more about the FASMEE stand-replacement prescribed burns that were held at the Fishlake National Forest and Dixie National Forest over the past couple of years. Want to learn more? Check out the FASMEE media coverage, including the videos posted below and a story from Vice News. Check out this amazing view from inside one of the FASMEE prescribed stand-replacement burns!
Continue Reading
Job: Eglin AFB Wildland Fire Support Dispatcher
Position advertised through the Colorado State University Center for the Environmental Management of Military Lands (CEMML). For more information see the position description. Position summary pasted below. Applications due by 9/13/2021.
A Wildland Fire Support Services position is available with the Center for Environmental Management of Military Lands (CEMML). This position is located at Eglin Air Force Base in Niceville, FL.
This position serves as Support Services for the Eglin Wildland Support Module (WSM) for the U.S. Air Force Wildland Fire Branch (AFWFB) based at Eglin AFB, FL. The primary purpose of this position is to provide a wide range of logistical and administrative support functions. In addition, opportunities to assist with wildland fire management may be available depending on qualifications. The Eglin WSM is a high paced program responsible for implementing an average of 80 prescribed burns and responding to 60 wildfires annually on Air Force properties throughout Florida and the southeast U.S. The position is expected to be 80% office work and 20% fieldwork.
- Serves as Secondary Eglin WSM Dispatcher when Primary Dispatcher is unavailable.
- Providing logistical support and coordination for Inter-agency detailer crews.
- Provide assistance with, and data entry into, the Incident Qualifications and Certification System (IQCS).
- Maintains resource status and tracking systems. Maintain resource availability for interagency assignment in IROC system.
- Assist with timekeeping in the Automated Time Attendance and Production System (ATAAPS).
- Assist with data and records entry into AFWFB inventory management and detailer tracking systems.
- Organizes and reviews completed records of all orders placed and actions taken to ensure adherence to established operating procedures.
- Inputs data into a number of fire-related computer applications (e.g., incident qualification records and fire reporting systems).
- Assists with providing critical logistical support information to Eglin WSM leaders and AFWFB HQ staff making recommendations concerning the efficient uses of available resources.
- Monitors and assures completion of daily, weekly, monthly, and year-end required records, reports, and summaries for the AFWFB East Region.
- Provide assistance in prescribed burns, fire effects monitoring, and other habitat management actions.
Wildland Fire Entrapment Database and Map
A new database and map provides a visual and spatial representation of wildland fire entrapments across the United States going back decades. Points on the map provide information about the date of the entrapment, the number of people involved, the type of entrapment, the equipment involved, and the number of fatalities (if any). The map points also provide links to accident reports with additional information. This sobering resource is an important reminder and opportunity to discuss the real hazards of wildland fire and strategies for promoting a culture of safety and learning.
Continue ReadingSFE Webinar Recording: Potential Impacts of Prescribed Fire Smoke on Air Quality, Public Health, and Vulnerable Populations in the Southeast
The recording from our SFE webinar on August 12th is now live on the Southern Fire Exchange YouTube Channel.
Continue ReadingNew SFE Fact Sheet: Prescribed Fire in Georgia – Frequently Asked Questions
A new SFE fact sheet developed by Laurel Kays, Shan Cammack, Mike Wharton, and David Godwin, provides answers to some of the most common questions natural resource professionals, extension agents, landowners, and researchers receive about prescribed fire in Georgia. Check it out here (pdf) and print some copies to have on hand at your next event or meeting.
Continue ReadingJoint Fire Science Program 2021 Funding Opportunity Notice
The Joint Fire Science Program (which funds the Southern Fire Exchange through a cooperative agreement with the US Forest Service Southern Research Station) has announced the opening of the 2021 fire science funding opportunity. More information here. The JFSP FOA closes October 14, 2021.
JFSP Funding Opportunity Topics
Graduate Research Innovation (GRIN)
The Joint Fire Science Program (JFSP) invites current master and doctoral students enrolled at colleges or universities within the US in the field of wildland fire and related physical, biological, and social sciences to apply for a Graduate Research Innovation (GRIN) award. The purpose of a GRIN award is to enhance student exposure to the management and policy relevance of their research to achieve beneficial outcomes of funded work.
Social and ecological recovery of communities impacted by wildfire
The objective of this task statement is to inform the development or improvement of strategies, tools, and resources used for post-fire community recovery, such that they facilitate recovery efforts that increase the resilience of social-ecological systems to future wildfires.
Collaborative development of ecosystem mapping products for fire and fuels management
To develop, using a collaborative framework, prototype mapping protocols and products that capture current ecosystem condition, desired condition, and departure from desired condition at spatial and temporal resolutions relevant to fire and fuels management decisions.
Regional Science Exchange and Outreach
The objective of this task statement is to solicit proposals to lead and execute a particular regional fire science exchange for a period of one to three years. The JFSP funds and provides oversight to a national collaborative of 15 regional wildland fire science exchanges: the Fire Science Exchange Network (FSEN). The FSEN provides the most relevant, current wildland fire science information to federal, state, local, tribal, and private stakeholders within ecologically similar regions. The FSEN brings fire, fuel, natural resource, and land managers, practitioners, and scientists together to address regional wildland fire management needs and challenges. Please see the JFSP website (https://www.firescience.gov) for additional information about the FSEN.